am finally close to making a purchase. its down to two rifles.

Buckmastr said:
A short barrel and big gut of a mag must really balance nice.:puke:
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The barrel is shorter, but a heavier contour, so the heavier contour makes up or less length. As for the magazine, it doesn't weigh much, and you don't have to fill it to capacity. The CTR is certainly not my first choice for a big game rifle to carry all day, but I would choose it over the military style rifles with pistol grips, that some people carry.
 
stubblejumper said:
If you think that the X-bolt trigger s better than the Tikka trigger, you are dreaming. The Tikka has an excellent trigger, easily adjustable down to 2lbs, while the X-bolt trigger is one of the weaker triggers available, often not adjusting below 3-1/2 lbs or so. I have used both and adjusted several of each
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Not dreaming , my X bolt broke at 2.5 lbs, like a glass jaw.
But does it really matter for a hunting rifle?
 
thanks for all the replies. my only concern with the x bolt is the barrel over heating with a minimal round count.
i cant find any ctrs locally. but i can find them online.
they do sound like a better balance for what i want.
still glad to hear everyones opinions on it
 
if you want to compare more directly you could compare the tikka light , a little lighter if you like that which i dont but still the tikka is the better rifle imo. the t3 lite has a bit longer barrel than the ctr and good unobtrusive mag, if not totally flush
 
jay smith said:
thanks for all the replies. my only concern with the x bolt is the barrel over heating with a minimal round count...
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The reason "pencil barrels" are used on many hunting rifles is that most times the first shot is all that is needed. So perhaps the accuracy goes to crap by the fifth or sixth shot due to heat (just a guess). But I wouldn't worry about it unless you are hunting under very unusual circumstances, like hog hunting or doing culls or shooting ground hogs.

Also by the time the barrel is overheating I expect the poor creature will be in the next county and a loss of accuracy to be the least of your worries.

For a range gun, yes, barrel overheating may be an issue with an xbolt if you want to shoot off a box at a time... enter the sks option....or a .22 rimfire rifle.... or a range only centerfire gun.

All I'm saying is that the tikka t3x ctr doesn't look like the best choice for hunting.
 
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porpoise said:
if you want to compare more directly you could compare the tikka light , a little lighter if you like that which i dont but still the tikka is the better rifle imo. the t3 lite has a bit longer barrel than the ctr and good unobtrusive mag, if not totally flush
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The CTR is also available with a longer barrel. For range use, the CTR is a better choice, for carrying all day, the T-3 light is the better choice. It all comes down to the primary use for the rifle. I have a CTR with the longer barrel in 6.5CM, it was purchased as a range gun, but also serves as a back up big game rifle. The CTR is actually lighter than my custom hunting rifle.
 
If you consider a bolt gun, the advantages are a simple, exceptionally strong and reliable action, which is usually mated with a good trigger. If you were going to over engineer a bolt for a rifle, making it as complicated and finicky to disassemble and reassemble as possible, it would look a lot like a Browning. They make the Weatherby MK-V look as simple as a 98 Mauser. Now Brownings shoot, there's no argument there, but I'm not particularly interested in owning one.
 
thanks again for everyones replies.
in so many words the ctr sounds like a training rifle that i could get away with taking hunting.
not discounting the 22 lr as a training rifle i have one and am a big fan.
though is probably backwards to ask what are anyone's experience with multiple shots of 308 out of a sporter barrel? ive read its not hard to overheat and ruin a barrel.
the 308 is a bit more expensive and i want to learn the gun
im not the guy trying to empty a mag in under a minute :d
 
All the X-bolts I've handled have been very accurate with factory ammo. I had a Tikka hunter and liked it, but I'd go for the browning carbon fluted stainless if possible, or a CZ (or a Steyr)
 
jay smith said:
... multiple shots of 308 out of a sporter barrel? ive read its not hard to overheat and ruin a barrel.....the 308 is a bit more expensive and i want to learn the gun
.... :d
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I'm not sure where you heard its easy to overheat and ruining a sporter barrel in 308. That is nonsense. You have to work at ruining a barrel by neglect. For target shooters, a 308 barrel is good for approximately 3000 rounds before accuracy starts to drop off. They often shoot their heavy barrel guns till they get plenty hot. That represents a lot of shooting. So if you can shoot 20 factory ammo rounds at every range trip, you'll spend at least $3000 getting there in the cheapest ammo before you might notice accuracy drop off a little. So, maybe after 6000 rounds you'll notice your 1" group is 1.75 or something. That's still good enough for hunting.

Btw, there is a myth out there about 1" groups at 100 yards. Don't worry about it. My standard is 3 shots into 1.5 inches at 100 yards with a good hunting bullet. That is good enough for big game shots out to 300 yards (where it becomes a 4.5" group, so my bullet will be somewhere within a 2.25" radius of my aim point - ignoring wind), my personal max.

If you keep your barrel lightly oiled after each outing, you will never, ever wear it out in with normal usage.

And btw, next to sks (7.62x39) and .223 ammo, the 30-30, 243 and 308 are all about the cheapest ammo out there, usually 1.00-1.50 / shot.
Also, if I were you, I'd be looking for the 7-08 instead of the 308. Yes, the .308 is excellent, but the 7-08 works just as well but kick less.

Of course, you may find someone who has actually worn out a 308 barrel. That's not me. I shoot older hunting guns (bought used) and they still work well enough for me.
 
jay smith said:
... multiple shots of 308 out of a sporter barrel? ive read its not hard to overheat and ruin a barrel.....the 308 is a bit more expensive and i want to learn the gun
.... :d
Click to expand...

I'm not sure where you heard its easy to overheat and ruining a sporter barrel in 308. That is nonsense. You have to work at ruining a barrel by neglect. For target shooters, a 308 barrel is good for approximately 3000 rounds before accuracy starts to drop off. They often shoot their heavy barrel guns till they get plenty hot. That represents a lot of shooting. So if you can shoot 20 factory ammo rounds at every range trip, you'll spend at least $3000 getting there in the cheapest ammo before you might notice accuracy drop off a little. So, maybe after 6000 rounds you'll notice your 1" group is 1.75 or something. That's still good enough for hunting.

Btw, there is a myth out there about 1" groups at 100 yards. Don't worry about it. My standard is 3 shots into 1.5 inches at 100 yards with a good hunting bullet. That is good enough for big game shots out to 300 yards (where it becomes a 4.5" group, so my bullet will be somewhere within a 2.25" radius of my aim point - ignoring wind), my personal max.

If you keep your barrel lightly oiled after each outing, you will never, ever wear it out in with normal usage.

And btw, next to sks (7.62x39) and .223 ammo, the 30-30, 243 and 308 are all about the cheapest ammo out there, usually 1.00-1.50 / shot.
Also, if I were you, I'd be looking for the 7-08 instead of the 308. Yes, the .308 is excellent, but the 7-08 works just as well but kick less.

Of course, you may find someone who has actually worn out a 308 barrel. That's not me. I shoot older hunting guns (bought used) and they still work well enough for me.
 
Personally, like the tikka more. After trying a t3x I went to go buy one myself and ended up walking out with a sako a7 roughtech pro. No regrets, just skipped a few meals to turn dreams into reality.
 
If you are only getting one gun, het a heavier barrel. I love throwing rounds downrange, and its nice to be able to do so to get more comfortable with your rifle. What about a savage 10 Hog Hunter? The internal box magazine version can be had for $500 and is exceptionally pleasant to shoot. Not discounting your other choices are great. I personally love all my Tikkas (minus the one dud I had in 233).
 
Tikka, Tikka, and then when you are done, Tikka. Just cycle the action a few times and dry fire it once. Then compare to the X bolt. Then go back to the Tikka and forget you ever heard about the X-Bolt.
 
jay smith said:
thanks again for everyones replies.
in so many words the ctr sounds like a training rifle that i could get away with taking hunting.
not discounting the 22 lr as a training rifle i have one and am a big fan.
though is probably backwards to ask what are anyone's experience with multiple shots of 308 out of a sporter barrel? ive read its not hard to overheat and ruin a barrel.
the 308 is a bit more expensive and i want to learn the gun
im not the guy trying to empty a mag in under a minute :d
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If the barrel is warm to the touch, let it cool down before continuing to shoot. People really exaggerate how easy it is to burn out a barrel.
 
I would suggest going stainless 308 CTR. It is a proper rifle with a decent mag system for which you can get a huge amount of aftermarket bits to customise if needed. The 308 doubles as a fun rifle to shoot 800m+ or as a precision hunting tool. I have been using mine since two hunting seasons and love it. The bare rifle weighs as much as a heavier sporting rifle such as a Mauser M03.
My rifle is fitted with Bipod, heavy PMII scope, Spuhr mounts, suppressor and the stock has NV mount but otherwise light weight carbon. I am 55, very overweight but still prefer to carry this rifle over lighter weight 308's I have.
On Sunday first light I started in the valley across the hill, walked over, shot two deer on the top, filled the Rucksack with the meat and waddled down into the valley. Very wet... soggy... boggy ground. My CTR has taken deer from 20m to 550m. We shoot deer every Sunday from Sept till end Feb.

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